Eggs Sold in Michigan Must be Cage Free By Dec. 31

If you've wrestled with paying more for cage-free shell eggs for the sake of being kinder to chickens, wrestle no more.

Starting Dec. 31, all shell eggs sold in Michigan must be cage free, Bridge Michigan reports.

But there are exceptions. The law doesn't apply to eggs from farms with less than 3,000 egg-laying hens.

The new law, coupled by concerns over the national outbreak of bird flu, could make eggs more expensive.

The change comes as a result of a 2019 state law that is just taking effect.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II signed the bill into law, saying it would ensure Michigan's "standards are amongst the strongest in the nation when it comes to protecting animal welfare, while ensuring that egg producers are able to continue to thrive," Bridge Michigan reports.

Bridge Michigan reports:

Cage-free housing is defined by the Animal Industry Act as an indoor or outdoor controlled environment for egg-laying hens to roam freely with provided “enrichments” that allow the hens to exhibit natural behaviors, such as scratch areas, perches, nest boxes and dust bathing areas.